Chapter 21 & 22 Review Mr. Klein

Age of Exploration Europeans were always interested goods from the East like silks, spices and luxury goods. When the trade routes to the east were cut off Europeans were very interested in finding new trade routes. New technology like the astrolabe, compass and better maps helped European explorers. Shipbuilders also improved ships by using triangular sails on ships. Strong kingdoms emerged in Portugal, Spain, France and England and they all had ports on the Atlantic ocean.

Portugal leads exploration Prince Henry was eager for Portugal to explore the world and financed many voyages of exploration. They obtained gold trading with African kingdoms and seized islands off the coast of South America as well as Brazil. Vasco Da Gama sailed around Africa to India giving Europe its first route to the east. Christopher Columbus on the other hand looked in the opposite direction to finding a route to the east. In 1492 the Spanish crown would pay for him to try sailing west to reach the east.

Columbus Columbus sailed west from Spain with three ships the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria. After weeks with no land the sailors got nervous and wanted Columbus to turn around. Finally they spotted land and went ashore on San Salvador. He claimed the land for Spain and began trade with the Taino people who lived there. Columbus believed he was in Asia but had really discovered the Americas. Not until another Italian Amerigo Vespucci explored the new world did he become convinced that “a new world” had been discovered. Later Columbus went back with conquistadors and they enslaved the Tiano people. Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas dividing South America between them.

Magellan and Early French & English Explorers Spain continued to explore the Americas but still wanted a western route to Asia. They hired Magellan to sail around the Americas and continue to Asia Magellan sailed around South America using what is now called the Straight of Magellan and moved into a vast sea that was so peaceful it became known as the Pacific ocean. It was a difficult voyage and food and water ran out. Magellan was killed battling native groups in the Philippines. However his crew continued on and became the first to circumnavigate the world. Meanwhile the English and French began exploring North America. They failed to find a northern route to Asia but did start to establish settlements in the Americas.

Exploration and Trade By the 1500’s Spain and Portugal had empires in the Americas and by the 1600’s the French, English and Dutch began to establish their own settlements. Spanish rulers had two goals for their colonists of their American Empire. 1. Bring wealth back to Spain and 2. convert Native Americans to Christianity. Spanish established plantations, gold and silver mines and priests built missions. Spanish used Native Americans for their workforce but because of disease they soon brought enslaved Africans to work the land Portuguese in Brazil also used enslaved Africans to grow their cash crops of sugarcane, tobacco, coffee and cotton.

North America The French established settlements mostly for the fur trade. They created their own trading posts and named it Quebec. French explorers, fur trappers and missionaries spread out into the continent and the French Explorer La Salle traveled down the Mississippi river and named the area Louisiana after King Louis XIV. English settlers went to the Americas for a variety of reasons. Create settlements of trade, religious freedom and getting away from economic troubles being the biggest. The first settlement in Virginia was Jamestown in 1606. It wasn’t profitable for the Virginia company for the first years until they discovered the tobacco grew well their and used it as a cash crop. With this success England started establishing more settlements to produce cash crops. Dutch traders establish the settlement of New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island that will later become New York City.

World Trade Spain and Portugal brought back gold and silver from the new world and other countries wanted to do the same. This became known as mercantilism which is that a country’s power depends on its wealth. So the acquisition of wealth and colonies becomes a priority. Europeans begin using colonies for their raw materials and resources The cost of exploration led to new business methods: Commerce is the buying and selling of goods in large amounts over long distances. Entrepreneurs invest money in projects. Joint-Stock Companies were created the multiple people could invest in a project by buying shares of the company. Cottage industry was when a peasant was hired to do work at home.

Global Exchange As Europe’s trade expanded, a global exchange of people, goods, technology, ideas and disease began. Historians call this the Columbian exchange and it transformed the economies of Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Foods like potatoes and corn were introduced to Europe. American settlers planted many European and Asian grains. New animals were introduced to the Americas like horses and cattle. Disease would kill millions of Native Americans